Jake Wood doesn't miss anything about 'EastEnders'.
Jake Wood
The 49-year-old actor - who left the BBC soap earlier this year after playing Max Branning for 15 years - insisted he is focused on the future and enjoying his stage roles, including his current run in '2.22 A Ghost Story' at the Noel Coward Theatre.
Asked what he misses about his character and the BBC show, he told the Metro newspaper's Sixty Seconds column: "If I'm honest, absolutely nothing.
"I'm really enjoying looking at other projects and being back on stage. I'm fully focused ahead, I've not looked back.
"I really enjoyed my time on the show and I've made some great friends and some fantastic memories."
Jake admitted playing the same character for so long is a "challenge", but he did enjoy the "great stability" he had during such a long stint on the soap.
He added: "It's rewarding but a challenge to play a character for 15 years - it's not the norm in our industry.
"My kids were young when I started there and it gave me a great home life and work-life balance, which in my industry is very difficult to maintain.
"We lived right next to the studios so I was home every night and watched my kids grow up. They're 16 and 13 now, so it's easier to be away."
And while the schedule is quite intense, Jake revealed some of his former cast mates have come to watch him in '2.22 A Ghost Story'.
He said: "Tanya Franks and Charlie Brooks were there for press night, as was my friend Scott, Barbara Windsor's husband.
"I understand Danny Dyer's coming soon, and Jo Joyner and her husband have been too, so I've had lots of support.
"I had 15 years on 'EastEnders' and the schedules are absolutely brutal so I forgive them if they don't turn up - it's a lot after a 12-hour day."
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